Originally this music is the soundtrack for circustheatre play ‘Huis op Hol’ (previously known as ‘Out of Control’) by Wietske Vogels about a peculiar female inventor who builds overly complicated contraptions to make her everyday routines into something gracefully awesome.

This release is available as a pay-what-you-want download, but also as an exceptional limited edition. Here it comes… a wooden usb-stick, encased in a bar of soap, home-made by Weerthof! No more vinyl or CD’s clogging up your house if you don’t want to! Only 50 numbered copies of these are made, straight from the Weerthof cooking laboratory.

(Some reactions to the smell of the Out of Control soap: “This smell reminds me of the boat of my grand-parents”, “It smells a bit electrical”, “Somewhere between an scullery and a workshop”, “Like drinking mint tea on Texel”.)

Weerthof is a musician, artist and producer of soundtracks and catchy pop songs hailing from Den Bosch. This is his fifth release, and his first instrumental one in almost 10 years. He seems to have returned a bit to his roots of fusing classical music with IDM, modifying trivial sounds and building objects to create those specific sound combinations. Yet bringing along the exploration of pop and early music from his 2012 album ‘Hoi’, resulting in a light, somewhat eclectic yet distinctly Weerthovian flavour.

The release date is drawing near… October 2nd. The Weerthof production line is in full swing to have 50 soapy babies ready for your smelling, looking ánd listening pleasure. Meanwhile record label Esc.rec. and me are working on press releases, digital distribution, and getting stuff ready for the release event at De Krakeling. (see below)

But enough talking: have some glorious behind-the-scene pictures!

Behold: the finished soaps in all their golden glory. 13 down, 37 to go.

That actually looks quite beautiful, if i may say so. Photo by André Schamineé — at Cafe Averechts.

In Cafe Averechts I did some actual set up my cooking lab. A critical moment: laying in the usb-sticks. Will the temperature of the glycerine be just right? Otherwise the sticks will sink or float..

Alchemst at work. Preparing the secret Out of Control mixture (if one of these bottles breaks, I’ll want to move out of my house)

Parfum making is both an art and a science.. écht een vak apart. The base, middle and top notes are found, but finding the ratios between ingredients M, C and W is a ficle business..

The mailman came by at Weerthof HQ. Bringing with him a ton of wooden Out of Control USB-sticks, engraved and all.

Take a look at their naked glory while you still can. They and the other 48 will soon be encased in soap!

The soapy core ingredient also arrived. 12 whopping kilo’s of it. Now it is waiting for the labels and the last secret fragrance ingredients, on their way from Australia and the UK. The scent notes are decided upon, yet the ratio will need some experimentation. Weerthof HQ already starts resembling a laboratory meets sweatshop.

“…can ignite spontaneously when heated above 150°.”

Want to see me do some actual LIVE soap making and usb encasing?
The 21st of September I will set up my cooking lab at Miss Match Party in Cafe Averechts, Utrecht.

Already sure you NEED to have one of those? Send me a message, and I’ll set one apart for you. (Release date: 2 October)

In case you haven’t heard: here a preview of one of the tracks of the EP.

Ps // These companies earned a shout-out and kudos for good service, communication and speedy delivery:Flashbay – the usb dudesDe Hekserij – the soap dudes

To be honest: I don’t care that much about vinyl or cd’s. Plaques of matter, clogging up space in our houses. Neither for so called ‘limited edition physical releases’, for that matter. What I do care about is music. A lot. I love making it, and love listening to it. But I also love musicians and producers who go the extra mile to make their releases something special. Something tangible, to put the icing on the cake of the sweat and love they poured into it. Doesn’t sound contradictory at all, does it?

On October 2nd my new release will come out on esc.rec: The Out of Control EP. And I’d like to make a ‘limited edition physical release’ which can both be a tangible thing filled with love, and something that doesn’t clog up your house if you don’t want to. So, Out of Control will not only be available as a pay-what-you-want download, but also (here it comes) ..

… as a wooden usb-stick, encased in a bar of soap – home-made by me. To make it even worse: I’d like to make the soap smell as how the music sounds. I’m now teaching myself the fine craft of soap making, making prototypes and delving in the fickle universe of smell. Will I get it right? I don’t know. Is it fun to do? Hell yeah!

On this blog I will keep you posted on the soap making process and adventures.

PS 1 // If you are still wondering: why soap, man? Come to De Krakeling on October 2nd, and you’ll understand. And off course because experimenting with weird materials, chemicals, smells and fragrances is damn awesome!

PS 2 // Already itching to get your hands on one of these soapy babies? Send me a message, and I’ll reserve one especially for you.

I’m using glycerin, because the fat and lye otherwise needed isn’t very appreciated by usb-sticks in general.

Glycerin doesn’t harden when using water or oil based extractions. It needs to be done with concentrates. But to get the smell right without the risk of giving everyone an immense rash still needs some olfactory experimentation.